Silver Skies and Magical Eyes
by FantasysAngel
Summary: slight AU. FFVIIxFFIX crossover. Sephiroth is sent on a mission to escort a very important black mage...SephirothxKuja yaoi
1. The mission

Silver Skies and Magical Eyes 

Rating: pg-13 (subject to change)

Pairing: Sephiroth X Kuja

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters but belong to Squaresoft and co.

Summary: slight AU, FFVII x FFVIX crossover. The Greatest SOLDIER ever lived is sent on a mission to escort a very important deity to the ShinRa labs. Much to Sephiroth's dismay about the mission, he's in for a surprise when he meets this very important person. 

Between the hustling and bustling of the new recruits walked the General of SOLDIER proudly, strong shoulders square and arms folded behind him in a pose that defined perfection. It was a beautiful breezy day out for field training which he thought would indeed spoil his new SOLDIER recruits. But who was he to complain, the weather had left him surprisingly in high spirits today. He stood in one shady spot and tucked one long silvery strand behind his ear and allowed his green mako eyes to scan the activities taking place. Then his eyes landed on a spiky haired young man in the far distance showing another cadet a series of sword techniques with the young cadet's practice blade. The General half smiled and shook his head. The spiky haired fellow noticed him and left the cadet to run over and greet his General.

"Zack…stop harassing these men and report to your assigned post please…" The General joked dryly and Zack scratched his head innocently.

"but that one's really good with the sword, watch out for him. Only been here for two months and never held a sword before. But wow, I mean he has potential for SOLDIER." Zack babbled on cheerfully over then young cadet that he trained. This caused for Sephiroth to raise an eyebrow at him.

"did you also tell him that you were interested ?" he joked again and Zack fumbled with his choice of words.

"um no !, but he _is_ good though…" Zack muttered and Sephiroth crossed his arms in front of him. Zack couldn't meet his piercing green eyes. 

"what ?"

"get back to your post Zack…"

"its not what you think, honest !!!" Sephiroth chuckled a little.

"mm hmm…"

"really !!" Sephiroth laughed dryly again. Zack pouted playfully.

"you're right though, I've been watching him for days now and has me quite interested. Tell me, who is this guy ?"

" that's Strife, Cloud Strife sir…"Zack said and let his gaze linger on the lone cadet that was training in the distance. Sephiroth nodded slowly then gave his Second-in-command a slap on the back. 

"Keep an eye on him then…" he said then turned away to leave.

"yes sir !" Zack exclaimed almost too happily and rubbed his hands together which made the General stop and face him again.

"Zack…you _know _what I mean…" Sephiroth stressed seriously while wiggling a finger at him. Zack laughed and raised his hands in front of him.

"alright alright geez….you're just _jealous_ !" Zack joked which was okay with Sephiroth. Anyone else would have been slammed down to the ground. 

Zack was possibly the only person Sephiroth was ever lenient with and not to mention opened up to. They've been through almost all hardships together. Training, wars, even the dreadful mako treatments they've received. Sephiroth always got the worst kind of treatments. Which made him very ill and extremely violent. But Zack was always there for him. At first, it was hard to get Sephiroth to trust him. He was able to put up with all the tantrums and beatings of the mysterious SOLDIER. But Sephiroth soon gave in to Zack's cooing and constant attention that the younger man spoiled him with. And when the mako treatments came around for Zack, Sephiroth found himself doing the same for him.

Zack was also a fiery, carefree person with an open-minded personality. When times are tough, Zack was always dependable and took things seriously. At other times, Zack's playful goofiness is what attracts all of his peers to him. Even Sephiroth.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and walked away at Zack's remark. "no…I don't think I'd ever be. Because I don't think anything or _anyone_ for that matter, would end your trips to my bed in the evenings" he said coolly which made Zack grin madly. 

"touché…but I don't know Seph, this one's really got me coming on to him" Zack said thoughtfully and scratched his chin in mockery. This stopped the General again. Zack knew what was coming.

" alright then… I'll bet 20 gils for that…"

"you're on !" Zack exclaimed and Sephiroth finally left. 

~*~

The cool night had fallen bringing peace to the camp of the SOLDIERs- to- be and the Great General worked tirelessly on the piles upon piles of folders and paperwork of ShinRa's latest recruits. His office was quiet and the only noises heard were the obnoxious ticking of the clock and the serene lapping of the water on the shore outside below. Despite how annoying the clock was, Sephiroth looked up at it anyway and found that it was late into the night. Meaning at any moment, his fiery and extremely passionate friend would come slip into his office noiselessly and demand to go to someplace more 'comfortable'. Some time had passed and still no Zack. Sephiroth looked up at the clock again.

__

Looks like I owe him 20 gils…he thought then rose from his desk and strode over to the open balcony with the view of a black glossy lake behind. He took in a deep breath of the fresh air and leaned over on the railing. His green mako eyes took in the peaceful view before him. The lake looked so much more intriguing at night under the light of the moon. The glossy surface was still, adding more to the eeriness of the dark forest around. But Sephiroth found this rather enjoyable still, a perfect scene that matched his mood unlike the annoying brightness of the sun that daylight had brought earlier. This was what he loved most. Peace yes, but a kind of peace you would only find at night in a dark forest, or the silence of the dead on a battlefield after a long hard war. Sephiroth sighed. 

Something was nagging at him. This was how he had been all of his life. He was raised to fight, to be strong and to only be a soldier. There was no room to feel anything else. He was made out so he knew no mercy, no love, no forgiveness. All of those made you weak. Sephiroth couldn't afford to be weak. Because he was great. Even with his 'part-time lover', Sephiroth made sure he never made anything between him and Zack serious. It was just sex, not love-making. A way to relieve stress. Oh sure, Zack came close a few times, but always kept him in check. After that, Zack stopped trying.

Sephiroth then closed his eyes and took another deep breath. The stillness of the night and the croaking of the nocturnal critters filled his ears, engulfing his mind. Then an image of him living a normal life started coming into view. And he found this rather interesting.

He sees himself in front of a mansion, on the beautiful shores Costa de Sol. Sitting on the warm sand, watching the sun set with someone, _anyone_, in his arms. He's enjoying the embrace, the mood, the peacefulness of it all together. Sephiroth furrowed his brows.

He thinks he feels complete and almost…happy.

A rustling in the bushes ahead startled him out of his little daydream then followed by a small knock on his office door. 

Zack.

Sephiroth almost feels glad to see him. He smiles.

"took you long enough…I take it the bet's off now? With a certain somebody owing me 20 gils…" Zack smiled impishly and began rubbing his arm in embarrassment. 

"actually, I _was_ with Cloud…until I received important information to give to you immediately…" Zack said in a serious matter. The taller man actually found himself slightly disappointed. Zack handed Sephiroth a white manila envelope and sat down in one of the chairs in the office. Sephiroth's brows furrowed together as he looked over the contents of the folder.

"what is it Seph ?" Zack asked and Sephiroth shook his head.

"that lunatic…what's he up to now…" Sephiroth muttered as he read the note enclosed. He then chuckled and tossed the folder onto his desk uninterestedly. He dropped himself into his leather arm chair behind the desk and reclined his back.

"old man wants me to go and escort somebody to the ShinRa labs." the General said then it was Zacks' turn to furrow his jet black brows in question.

"must be really important for him to ask for you. I mean anyone could have gone. How bad could that be ?" he asked and Sephiroth held his chin in thought while staring at the white manila folder.

"I'm going to have to send someone else, I have a lot of work to get done and have absolutely no time for baby-sitting, so, sorry, won't do it" he in a serious tone of voice. Zack only half smiled.

"well does it even tell you who it is ?" Zack asked again, but Sephiroth only shrugged his powerful shoulders, looking away in thought. Zack sighed and thought it was his queue to leave. He stood up to leave but was stopped by Sephiroth asking him a very strange question.

"pardon me ?" Zack asked dumbfounded. Sephiroth straightened himself up so that his arms were outstretched in front of him. 

"I said, what's he like ?"

"Cloud… ?"

"yeah…what's he like ?" Sephiroth asked again. Zack found this very strange that he was interested in Cloud all of a sudden. Zack ran his hand through his hair in thought.

"well…he's cute" Zack managed to say and Sephiroth smiled a little while looking down at his hands. What was there to say ? There were a million things to say about Cloud, Zack thought. It was just weird that Sephiroth was asking him this.

"that's it ? Surely your tastes go beyond that…" Sephiroth said which managed to be a joke. But knowing his dry sense of humor, Zack didn't care. So he thought again.

"well he _is_ cute, and …smart, and…innocent and blonde and, and…ugh Seph he's just plain adorable!" he whined and Sephiroth chuckled a bit to himself.

"well you did always have a thing for blondes…" Sephiroth retorted and Zack folded his arms in front of him.

"well actually, men with silver hair are a big turn on for me. Blondes, I think, are just lovable" He finished with a big grin and Sephiroth just twisted his lips together.

"Zack…goodnight !" 

~*~

Sephiroth fast paced down one of the cold and gloomy halls of ShinRa Inc.'s labs with the white manila folder in hand, and sliver gleaming hair bouncing against his back. He was irritated and wore a true soldier's expression on his delicate to touch yet bold looking face. He reached the end of the hall where two metal doors were and flung them open in a blundering manner startling all occupants in the lab. He found his man and swiftly approached him.

"what is the meaning of this?? What the hell do you take me as Hojo because I've got better things to do then run YOUR errands for you !!"he yelled then threw the folder on a metal table. The frightening scientist didn't look up from where he was preparing a patient at Sephiroth's bellowing. He waited until he double checked the equipment surrounding the boy to actually address Sephiroth. When he did, his sulky yellow eyes widened at Sephiroth's intrusion.

"hello to you to Sephiroth, now…what can I do for you ?" the eerie Professor asked in mockery. But it wasn't until then, that Sephiroth took a good look at who the latest mako victim would be. His eyes narrowed.

__

Oh no…Zack won't be happy…

"this assignment…what the hell-- I don't have time for this Hojo, my recruits--" Hojo raised a bony hand to silence him.

"the reason why I asked for you and you only was because I couldn't rely on anyone else with this…something delicate as this…I need _you_ to do it." Sephiroth shook his head.

"why is this person so special that you would have me go out of _my_ way just for you. It'll be a waste of my time, find somebody else." Sehiroth said and wanted to leave but Hojo's irritation with him made him flip down a switch roughly and watched an eerie green fluid ooze through the tubing. The boy strapped down watched helplessly as his blue eyes scanned the fluids entering him. When they entered his skin, he let out a cry. Sephiroth felt sick, and Hojo smiled in satisfaction.

After what seemed like a painful eternity the victim stopped screaming and fell silent. His blue, now mako filled, eyes clouded then glazed over and fell into death like trance. Sephiroth cringed. He felt like wiping that smile of the disgusting man's face.

"ok, who is this guy ? Why is he so important ?" Sephiroth asked in a venomous voice. Hojo clapped his hands together in delight.

"oh Sephiroth ! I knew I can count on you. You are going to love this" the professor chimed.

"surely you remember meeting Garland right ? The one he and I are working together on the new project ? Well he has this powerful _mage_ working for him and okayed for me to uh 'borrow' him for a while." the scientist said happily. Sephiroth snorted. 

"a mage ? You want me to escort some oaf who pretends to be a wizard of some sort !" he shook his head in disbelief. Hojo's face turned ugly and roughly grabbed the front of Sephiroth's black leather trench coat.

"fool !" he hissed. "he's not just some oaf !! He has _great_ powers, _magical_ powers. He's so great that he is feared all over. If I sent just anybody, they wouldn't be able to stand against his powers. He's too strong" Sephiroth was still unimpressed.

"I hear that gazing into his eyes can turn you to stone on the spot ! But me…I need him here… I need him to study !"said the mad scientist who was now wringing his hands together.

"why would you be needing a mage to study ?" Sephiroth asked with a scowl. Hojo laughed.

"that, my dear friend, is none of your business…?" he said. Sephiroth had a bad feeling about this.

"you don't know what you're getting yourself into…" the General muttered, but Hojo ran his hand down his perfect soldier's muscular chest.

"my soldier…my beautiful, perfect soldier…just do as I say and nothing can go wrong…" he said in a sick sweet voice. Sephiroth's expression turned deadly and abruptly pushed away from the older man. Hojo watched his prized experiment walk thunderously down the hall and smiled.

"instructions on where to find him are in the folder" he called out to Sephiroth then grinned evilly again. He then turned to the unconscious blonde that was still strapped down and ran a spidery finger down the side of the boy's porcelain face. 

The blonde flinched.

"oh c'mon now Cloud, that wasn't so bad now was it ?" 

To Be Continued…

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A/N: I'm having a hard time keeping Sephy in character. Tell me, is he ok like this or is he OOC ? 


	2. The mage

A/n: sorry it took so long, Kingdom Hearts took all my time, but I beat the game so expect some KH fics soon lol. I hope this chapter makes any sense, and I really try my hardest to keep Seph in character. Anyway next chapter will be better, or at least I'll try to make it better. Enjoy ! ^_^ as always, thanks for the reviews !!!!

"ATTENTION !!" shouted the sergeant in charge at the top of his lungs. Groups of new recruits hurried over from their training and lined neatly beside each other. Each striking a perfect SOLDIER's pose. The Great General Sephiroth followed by his Second-in-Command, Zack, came trotting out in all their glory and saluted the recruits. The soon-to-be SOLDIERs saluted back, and Sephiroth was the first as always to drop his hand.

"at ease…" Sephiroth demanded coolly and the recruits shifted to a less stiffly stance. He took a moment to overlook his trainees and began pacing. He looked over to where his partner in the crime stood eyeing a certain blonde and exhaled. 

" alright ! As you all should know, I will not be here for the next few days. Thus, I'll be leaving you in the trusted hands of my Second here, Zack…" he announced which wasn't such a big deal. Sephiroth did this a lot when he was assigned special assignments and for most of them, Zack wasn't with him. But Sephiroth always likes to remind his recruits what kind of behavior he wants them to be in his absence. Sephiroth stopped midway and faced all of his recruits.

"I'm sure I don't have to remind you what kind of behavior I want you all to be in. Any mishaps, and I'll see to it that I _personally_ deal with the situation. So you'd do best to stay on my good side." he said boldly and the recruits themselves all knew the consequences for double crossing a SOLDIER, especially if that particular SOLDIER was Sephiroth. The General spent the next few moments in speech before finally letting his men go. It was only hours left until he attended to his important assignment.

Zack came rushing into the tent where the silver haired warrior was preparing for his trip. He half smiled and handed Sephiroth the last bit of paperwork to do.

"so, you're going then ?" Zack asked while he helped Sephiroth pack. Sephiroth just sighed and continued stuffing his duffle bag.

"what does it look like Zack" he answered irritably then overlooked the papers handed to him.

"I'm only interested in what that psycho is up to now, and something tells me it isn't good" he muttered while finally looking up at Zack. In return, Zack eased his frustration by tucking one silver strand behind his ear. Emerald eyes flashed coldly before finally easing up to his gentle touch.

"who cares about that lunatic, let him kill himself if he must, no need to stress yourself over it…" Zack said sweetly and Sephiroth just shrugged.

"I do careless about him, I just…I don't know. I guess I still have those few questions that have been nagging me to ask him." he muttered while tapping the edge his bag with his slender fingers in thought. Zack sagged his shoulders in defeat.

"he doesn't hold the key to your past Seph, stop thinking that way…"

"I think he does Zack, I honestly think he knows more than I already know" Sephiroth shook his head, his hair sparkling with every ripple of his silvery strands.

"like what Seph, what's bothering you ?" Zack asked and Sephiroth thought again.

"…" Sephiroth ignored him and continued packing. Zack was about to say something until shouting from the Sergeant outside interrupted him. Both Sephiroth and Zack exchanged quick glances before rushing out of the tent to see what the commotion was about.

The Sergeant and the recruits stood crowded around a blonde boy who was doubled over on the ground, holding his stomach as if in pain. A few of the recruits were laughing as the Sergeant booted the retching blonde a couple of times in demand to stand up and face him. Zack's eyes grew furious as he caught the fist of the Sergeant before it came flying into the young boy's sickly colored face.

"what seems to be the problem here Sergeant ?" Zack asked with clenched teeth and voice dripping with venom. Fear rippled unnoticeably through the Sergeant as he straightened himself up in disgust.

"this sorry recruit here SOLDIER, he's drunk on the job. I thought we made it clear to you sorry asses about alcohol and DUTY !!!" he yelled and Sephiroth, who had caught up to them, kneeled down next to the blonde and started examining him. Cloud was shaking and sweating profusely, but tried his hardest to straighten up for the respected SOLDIER.

"I-I'm sorry sir, I-I…"

"enough soldier, lets take you in" Sephiroth said and Cloud couldn't believe his ears. The silver haired legend helped the blonde up and turned to face the Sergeant on duty.

"but General sir no doubt he's--"

"he'll be taking the next few days off Sergeant, if you don't mind…" Sephiroth demanded but the Sergeant glared.

"with all do respect sir," he said bitterly "being drunk while on duty is against regulations and should be punished ! surely you don't think he's sick for an entirely different reason, look he's drunk, he's been throwing up his guts out the entire time since the start of our drills" The Sergeant protested, but Sephiroth glared. His green mako eyes suggesting just how much he was furious by their eerie glow. How dare the Sergeant speak that way with him. He was Sephiroth and he was going to show the Sergeant that nobody questions Sephiroth. He carefully leaned Cloud against Zack and approached the Sergeant slowly.

"are you questioning my judgment Sergeant ? Because as I recall, I believe that I give the commands around here." he said in a low voice. The Sergeant swallowed fearfully.

"yes sir but this boy here…"

"is very ill and needs few days of rest. I trust he isn't that foolish to be drinking on the job, and besides, he's underage no doubt." he turns to face Cloud who's blue mako eyes were wide with amazement. Cloud thought he saw a secret smile some where there, but thought his mind was probably playing tricks on him. It was already unbelievable that the Great Sephiroth was vouching for him.

The Sergeant was furious that he doesn't get to torture anyone but nodded to Sephiroth's orders anyway. Sephiroth gave him a half grin and demanded for the recruits to get back to their training.

"oh and by the way Sergeant…" The already furious Sergeant stopped in his tracks and turned back to view the retreating form of Sephiroth.

"lay a single finger on my men in any way again and I will see to it that _you_ will get punished, understood ?" The Sergeant gritted his teeth but saluted in response before getting back to training the recruits.

Zack and Sephiroth helped Cloud into their tent and laid him down to rest. Zack was hovering over him worried as Sephiroth worked on undressing the younger boy.

"Cloud, what happened to you out there ?? Are you ok ?"

"call for the nurse Zack…"

" what's wrong with him ? What happened ?" Sephiroth froze in his spot and exhaled. He had to inform Zack about Hojo's latest experiments involving Cloud.

"a few days ago, I approached Hojo in his lab when he was giving Cloud mako injections" he said in a low tone of voice. He then slowly looked up to face Zack who's eyes flashed dangerously.

"he's got mako poisoning. It was from then that I knew this was going to happen." Sephiroth finished and saw that Zack had both of his fists clenched at his sides. Cloud was barely conscious, but closed his eyes to block out the pain.

"that bastard…I'll kill him !!" Zack growled after a moment of silent fury. Sephiroth grabbed one of his clenched fists.

"no _I'll_ kill him, you just go get the nurse…"

The nurse had just finished up on working on Cloud and assured them both that he would be alright. Sephiroth looked at his watch and poked his head inside to where Cloud and Zack were in the infirmary. The blonde was sleeping and Zack sat next to him, caressing the boy's arm and staring intently at him. The sight was almost saddening, but Sephiroth dismissed any feelings immediately and cleared his throat.

"gotta go Zack…" Sephiroth said and Zack nodded, eyes still planted on the Cloud's sleeping form.

"well you know where to reach me if you need anything" Zack nodded again in reply, his eyes never leaving the blonde boy. Sephiroth bit his cheek in a bit of annoyance.

"look after him then…" to this, Zack slowly lifted up his head and gave his General a sly smile and saluted in mockery.

"take care yourself Seph, I hear there's a lot of strange shit in where you're going" he teased and Sephiroth frowned.

"oh thanks a lot. But I'm a big boy, I can handle it." he muttered before he left leaving Zack to laugh to himself.

~*~

A few days later, Sephiroth rode in an airship and cursed the nauseating ride he had to endure for days. He and a few of his men were quickly approaching a barren place in a desert and checked the map again to make sure the pilot wasn't lost. The airship then started to descend and came to a clear landing where a few strange beings came into view. They were all blonde little children with funny tails and unreadable expressions. Sephiroth found them rather odd to be out in the middle of nowhere by themselves. He got off the airship to address them.

"General Sephiroth…" one of them announced and Sephiroth made himself known.

"yes that's me…" he answered then the little boy-like creature studied him for a moment. Sephiroth felt bare and exposed to the little thing and wondered what had it so fascinated. The little boy nodded then started to walk away.

"follow me" it said then disappeared into a clear, invisible portal. Sephiroth and the rest of his men watched it disappear and felt disinclined to actually follow it. But when Sephiroth walked through it with so much confidence, the rest of the men quickly followed.

Inside the portal was a whole different place. Instead of the desert, it was an entire city. The air was cool and there were bodies of water everywhere unlike the barren desert they were in moments before. The city's eerie blue glow coming from energy sources gave it a serene and peaceful atmosphere. The men that accompanied Sephiroth were in awe. The silver haired man thought that the city would exactly be like what a muted Midgar would be. 

The little blonde creature took Sephiroth through a series of roads and bridges to get to their destination. And as they progressed, Sephiroth noticed that all occupants of this silent underground city were exactly like the little boy they were following now. The boy stopped in front of a huge beautifully, crafted palace and disappeared inside. Moments later, he came back and told Sephiroth to follow it once again.

The palace inside itself was a work of art. It looked more like a museum than it did as a palace. Statues of angels lined the place each carrying different colored orbs that broke the light poring through the magnificent glass stained windows into beautiful rays of colors of the spectrum. Huge paintings of nobles and more angels lined the Gothic style walls which made Sephiroth really wonder what this mage was like. _Aren't they usually old and ugly with big hooked noses and live in old moldy castles? _He recalls Zack asking before he left for this mission. Sephiroth smirked to himself. For someone who was supposed to be ugly and grotesque, they sure had good taste. The little boy stopped before a spiraling stairway that was made entirely out of light and suggested for the rest of the men to stay behind. 

"master Kuja's room is this way…as for the rest of you, my colleagues have prepared rooms for you to stay the night. General Sephiroth sir, this way please" the little boy said without feeling and began ascending the ghostly stairway. Sephiroth had almost expected for the thing to fall through it, but found himself shrugging and followed the thing up anyway.

When they reached the top, Sephiroth noticed it began to get even more cooler and darker than the floor they were previously on. Towards the end of the hall were two grand doors, with a crescent moon and stars, blazing a brightly blue color in the dark, were carved into the doors. They stopped before them, and the doors opened up on their own. Sephiroth began to get goose bumps despite how bold and fearless he usually was.

Inside the room was pitch dark, and only source of light came from five candles on the floor, each placed on a point of a large pentagram drawing surrounding a hooded figure in the middle. His long cloak was pooled eerily all around as he sat on the floor with his back to them. He seemed to be in the middle of a ritual of some sort. The figure lifted it's head slowly in acknowledgement of their presence and Sephiroth was actually surprised to see the little boy beginning to feel hesitant.

"Master Kuja sir…"

"leave us…" the hooded figure commanded. Surprisingly, his voice was smooth and suave and sounded nothing like an old man should. The little boy bowed respectfully and left Sephiroth all alone with the creepy mage. After a long stomach twisting silence, the mage finally spoke.

"state your business here…" he said and Sephiroth straightened himself up.

"General Sephiroth of SOLDIER, Professors Hojo and Garland request your presence at the ShinRa labs…" Sephiroth said formally and waited yet for another reply. The figure moved again in his spot on the floor, but this time what Sephiroth noticed made his emerald mako eyes widen in shock. The figure had put aside a doll that Sephiroth swore looked exactly like him. Complete with the silver hair and trench coat. Sephiroth's eyes then narrowed sinisterly.

"I know who you are, I knew you were coming…" the figure said with a hint of amusement in his voice. The figure rose gracefully from his seat on the ground and faced Sephiroth. He was shorter then the SOLDIER, but Sephiroth felt really nervous as he began approaching him. All kinds of crazy thoughts began running through his head. Could he possibly be those kinds of mages that see into the future ? What if he knew everything about Sephiroth and planned on doing all kinds of wicked things just for amusement with that doll of him. Sephiroth swallowed nervously but didn't loose his cool. He did not like this old man already. Then the hooded mage suddenly stopped and began laughing. With a snap of his fingers, all the candles in the room lit up, slowly bringing his surroundings into view.

"no I'm not a psychic, I was simply informed that you were to be sent to fetch me" he snickered and Sephiroth felt like kicking himself over and over again. He almost lost his cool for nothing.

__

Of course…he thought dumbly.

"hmph ! They send me a _SOLDIER_ to escort me ? How pathetic ! What ? did the old man actually think I'd escape or something, what an idiot…" the mage said in annoyance and turned with a dramatic swish of his light blue cloak and sat in a large chair in front a dresser.

"well I'm not just any SOLDIER, I'm First-Class, best-of-the-best, and had been taken out of my precious time and way to escort you to those labs. So with all do respect _sir_, whether you like it or not, my duty IS to have you--"

"who cares…I don't. I don't like SOLDIERS and I don't like you. No one tells me what I can and cannot do, and I chose not to go to this pathetic Midgar of yours. But you know what, there are many out there who fear me, give me a good reason why I should go with _you_." Sephiroth's eyes narrowed dangerously in annoyance. Any kind of fear for the mage suddenly subsiding.

"because _I_ don't fear you, and I also don't like you or your attitude. But as I said before, I was taken out of MY way and MY time for you, so I'm going to accomplish my mission by bringing you to those damned labs, alright ! And I don't care what you say or the kind of tricks you would pull on me with your doll there. You're going sir ! And that's the end of it" Sephiroth yelled and hadn't noticed how much he had advanced towards the seated mage during his fit of fury. The mage looked about ready to leap at him but stood up face to face with the General of SOLDIER. Sephiroth felt like taking all what he said back and eyed the mage boldly. Through the dark of the hood, he noticed that the mage had perfectly smooth skin and shaped lips. Sephiroth began to have second thoughts about this mage's real identity. His thoughts were cut off as the mage started to snicker.

"hmm…is that so ? Let me tell you, you've got a lot of nerve to talk to someone like me like that, Sephiroth of SOLDIER…" he said eerily.

"… I may not like you, but I do like your confidence. Please, do go retire for the day General, we shall leave at noon tomorrow, is that good ?" he asked Sephiroth with a sudden change of lightness. Sephiroth just nodded and began walking out of the room. When he was out of sight, Kuja sat back down in his chair and leaned back into it with a heavy sigh. He took of his hood off and ran a perfectly manicured hand through his silvery hair and picked up a rose from the vase on the dresser and twirled it in his fingers thoughtfully.

"sleep well…_SOLDIER_…"


	3. The wonders

He sat in his chair with one knee raised, delicate fingers interlaced on top and leaned over to rest his tired head them. In the darkness of his chamber, crystal tears had glimmered as they rolled off his porcelain cheek and fell into the ringlets of his long silver hair that spilled over his legs. Today was the day, the day that his life starts to fall apart officially.

He looks over to the deck of the tarot cards that laid open in front him. The source that had lead him to shed tears. He had known what was to come out of this whole trip to the other side of the world from the start, but he had thought just maybe, somewhere in the depths of his misfortune, that the cards would tell him otherwise. To maybe just give him some kind of hope and be able to live long enough just to be able to see his dear brother for one last time. But there, among the intricately designed drawings of the cards, was the one that every tarot reader had dreaded.

The death card.

Not always used in terms of actual death, but he didn't need to finish the rest of the reading to know what the position of the card had meant. He curled up in his chair and wrapped his arms around himself. Wishing that the soldier would just finish him already if he still had the intentions to. 

Moments later and after many attempts of composing himself, he gritted his teeth and allowed for the other genomes to carry off his belongings out to where the General of SOLDIER stood talking on his cell phone, waiting. Kuja took one last look at himself in the mirror hidden under carvings of the moon phases and brought his hood up in mourning. Enjoying being shrouded in darkness, just like the angel of death itself.

Well after all…that was exactly what he was made out to be. 

His purpose of being…

He sighs to himself, dreading the long trip ahead and the new home that awaited him. He knew of the dangers and miseries that will come later. He had seen them in visions and dreams and now in the tarot cards themselves. He was a mage, he could've easily escaped his captor's heinous plans. But when he held his life in his hands, Kuja had no choice but to obey him, and maybe then he could be able to live a little longer than intended. He sat back down in his chair and brought his cloak of black crushed velvet tighter around himself, feeling very alone in the world.

He sat up again with a slight gasp as a flutter of wings had caught his attention from his window. But he smiled genuinely when he had recognized the raven with a note tied around it's leg. Kuja nearly ran over to the bird and scooped his hood back, allowing for his silver locks to hang free over his shoulders again. He quickly untied the letter and recognized the royal Alexandrian crest, emblazed in red candle wax at the seal. He bit his lip and immediately went for his quill and parchment papers. 

This was important.

The soldier would have to wait.

~*~

Sephiroth finished getting off the phone with Zack and shifted his weight on his other leg impatiently. He checked his watch again and again then finally growled in frustration. As a highly respected SOLDIER in Shinra, he was always big on patience and tardiness.

"Where the hell is he? We're behind schedule!" he barked and his men all shrugged unknowingly. A moment later and the sound of light footsteps came from behind them.

"Pull that stick out of your ass soldier, I'm right here" the mage announced and trotted up to Sephiroth innocently, black robe flowing at his ankles with the sway of his hips. A nerve twitched in Sephiroth's forehead as he acknowledged him.

"You're late…" he grumbled and if they were able to be seen, Kuja's cold blue eyes had narrowed from under his hood.

"My apologies there, soldier. I was writing a letter to a dear friend telling him about my new whereabouts. It was important, and you can't seem to go anywhere without me anyway" Kuja mocked. Sephiroth just repressed his rage and sighed.

"Fine!… let's get going then" his emerald eyes then caught sight of a large black creature at the mage's side and his brows shot up in disbelief.

"What the hell is that??" he yelled as he pointed to it. Kuja looked down at his 'kitty' and gave it pat on its head.

"This is my pet, is that a problem?" Sephiroth felt a headache coming on.

"That thing better be tame or I'll throw it over board" the mage grinned evilly.

"Luna? Don't worry she's quite the good kitty, unless someone manages to anger me, then she can revert to her wild instincts in a heartbeat, and she obeys only me" he said dangerously and the black panther had licked its lips to emphasize its master's point. Sephiroth shook his head again and turned on his heels towards the ship muttering to himself. Kuja smiled to himself victoriously.

He was going to love pissing off the soldier.

Once settled in, Sephiroth took one look at the enormous feline and shook his head again.

"Luna…"

"It even has a name…"

~*~

Half a day later, the group had finally reached Midgar bases and the General couldn't have been any happier. A familiar, cheery face popped up from among the groups of SOLDIERs and Zack came running out to greet him. He was able to see the forlorn look on his General's face and sensed that he didn't have much of a good time.

"Yo!"

"What a sight for sore eyes…"

"What's up? You look like shit…" Sephiroth's eyes narrowed.

"Thanks for the comfort... Listen, do me a favor? Things aren't looking to good with this guy and he's stuck at my place the entire time he's here…"

"Damn, he's staying at your place?? Why?" Sephiroth sighed and massaged his throbbing temples.

"I don't know, but I need a few good drinks and I mean something really _hard_…preferably something that can knock me out for a few days" Zack blinked in amazement.

"…and speaking of hard, think you could ditch Cloud tonight?" Zack blinked again, but this time, a huge grin spread widely on his face as a juicy thought had hit him. 

"Can't he join us?" Sephiroth thought for a moment then closed his eyes, tiredly.

"Even better…"

~*~

"Oh my…oh how marvelous"

"Quite the work of art, is he not?"

"Oh yes, I must commend you on your achievement, and what a beauty he is…" Sephiroth watched the shadows of the two scientists from the security room with much disdain. They wandered about, examining the mage with interest. Touching him and probing him all over with their gloved hands. The feeling of rubber against skin…touching, poking, hitting…pinching…slapping…

Hurting…

Just the sight of them at work sprung up all kinds of repressed memories of being a personal play toy for Hojo in his youth. He remembered the hours he spent under that blinding white light, and how dizzy it had always made him feel afterwards. Then the nauseating feeling of the mako in his system for the first time. He was only 7 years-old... 

He planted one hand on the door frame for balance and used his other to rub his eyes. Trying to erase the memory of that irritating white light that drilled into his head like a laser beam. Just when he felt his stomach turn on itself, a gentle hand squeezed his shoulder and a pair of mako blue eyes met his.

"Cloud…"

"You okay there?" Sephiroth cleared his throat and straightened himself up.

"Fine, where's Zack?"

"Getting dinner. Here, drink some of this then" Cloud handed him a steaming mug, half full of an amber colored tea. Sephiroth studied him for a moment before taking in the herbal aroma of the drink.

"Its green tea with honey" he says with a little bounce. Sephiroth eyed him strangely, but Cloud only smiled sweetly.

"It helps the after effects of the mako go away, and its good for you" his General gave him a small smile. A kind of smile that was only meant for him, and accepted the drink. He really liked the blonde, he was the hardest working recruit they've had. Showing a lot of potential for SOLDIER.

Sephiroth took a little sip out of the mug all the while his eyes never leaving the blond youth. Thoughts of how he ever got mixed up with his loud and charismatic friend ran through his mind. Cloud was a quiet kid, and he deserved someone quiet like him.

"Waaaah! Damn Seph!! You didn't tell me he was hot!!" the General's eyes narrowed as Zack came in whistling and waving bags of take out around.

"What are you talking about ?"

"Our freaky old guy, the loon you have to look after… he's _cute_!!" Sephiroth ran gloved fingers through his hair.

"A _cute_ old man… Zack what the _hell _are you on?" Zack shook his head.

"Old? You mean you've never actually seen him? Look what you're missing out on…" he pointed to over where the two professors had departed, revealing a white bed with a partially naked mage on it. They pushed aside the curtains and left to get their share of the dinner. 

Sephiroth watched carefully as the mage sat up slowly but gracefully, as if time had purposely stopped for everyone to acknowledge his beauty. Long silvery hair, maybe a tad darker than his own, spilled down the flawless skin of his lean back. He watches the beauty fan out his hair, his body clear of any wrinkles or other deformities, just pure milky white, well toned body with a frame prettier than that of a girl's. The mage rubbed his arms from the cold lab around him, then pulled on his black cloak over him, all the while his back facing the soldiers. Sephiroth turned to find the other two watching him in awe with the expressions matching his own.

Come to think of it now, Sephiroth had never seen how he looked like without the heavy cloaks that he wore all the time. But seeing him now, he was breathless and was some what relieved. Okay…so his new roommate was beautiful, that doesn't change the fact that he's still a black mage. Capable of all sorts of evil hocus pocus. Zack leaned back in his chair and bit into an egg roll, snickering.

"Nice, huh?…and you've got him all to yourself you lucky dog"

Sephiroth let out a sigh as he sat down slowly to try and register everything. He then drank the entire container of nearby sake in one gulp.

~*~

They both walked down the hall of a beautifully furnished building where most SOLDIERS of the first class lived. Sephiroth's special place was on the last floor up and had the entire floor to himself. These halls weren't too familiar to him because he rarely ever stayed at his own place. He never sleeps much and when he did, it'll just be nodding off at his desk in his office or in nights spent with Zack. 

He would usually use his extra time for training or to get paper work done, and his private locker room provided showers for him. They reached the elevator, and Sephiroth swiped his card into the slot. 

"This is it…" he said, but the other had barely made a noise. There were so many floors to get through, and the silence between them was almost unnerving. So Sephiroth took the chance to steal a glance at him.

He had his hood down for once and his hair fell freely over his shoulders and back. He had his color lined eyes closed and downcast. Allowing for his long lashes to stand out against his porcelain face. Sephiroth had only one chance to see his eyes before they had left the lab. But they were beautiful, just like the rest of him. That made Sephiroth frown. What was he doing with a guy like Garland? 

Speaking of which…he was going to bet that Hojo's mako happy experiments were going to destroy the beautiful mage, and that had almost made him feel bad. Someone with such exotic looks should just be put on display. Locked behind a glass case and not to be tampered with ever. But Sephiroth wasn't exactly innocent himself. 

He secretly wanted to tamper with him too. He denies it, but he felt his blood boil for him when he saw the mage in his entirety. He was beautiful, almost impossibly so.

The elevator had stopped and opened up to reveal a sophisticatedly designed penthouse. Which surprises even Sephiroth himself every time he sees it. He hardly ever came up here, and when he did, no one usually accompanies him. It was truly a waste.

Kuja took a few steps in and stopped to examine the place.

"Splendid…for someone like you"

"Yeah…maybe I should start coming up here more often" he went to one of the extra rooms and pushed the door open.

"I guess this would be your room then" Kuja nodded slowly then watched his kitty come out to greet him. 

"Luna" she licked his face affectionately, making Sephiroth glare at it.

"I hope that thing is house broken" Kuja heard him say and sighed to himself.

"This won't do at all, she's a panther… She'll be needing more room than this…"

"Well this is _my_ house, I won't turn it into a zoo for it" the mage fell quiet then started scratching the panther's head.

"Well then girl, I guess I'm going to have to do something to fix this. It'll be for your own good" Sephiroth watched him roll up his sleeves and waved his hands over his pet. He then watched the panther shrink in size and turned into a regular house cat. Kuja smiled and picked his new cat up.

"Satisfied…?"

"Great… I'll just get the litter box then…"

"No need…"

"Hey I don't want her marking her essence all over the place"

"She won't do that, remember she's _my_ pet"

"So?"

"So that would make her have some kind of magical qualities about her as well, wouldn't you think?"

"Excellent, that thing knows magic too…" Kuja rolled his eyes at him and walked into his room, slamming the door shut in his face in frustration. 

Sephiroth sighed then threw himself on the couch tiredly. Thinking how interesting this was going to be. He then turned his as the door opened again.

"And another thing…I like my eggs scrambled, muffins crisped but not burned, no meat of any kind I hate it, and a glass of wine with butter and Lindblum's finest strawberry jam on the side. I expect to have those ready for breakfast in the morning!" Kuja slammed the door shut, but opened yet again. 

"And Luna likes freshwater salmon, she won't settle for anything less!!"

SLAM!

__

Yeah…Sephiroth had thought.

This was going to be… something else…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: sorry its been a while guys, but I still want to finish this for you. So don't fret. A warm thanks for Kalli and that wonderful Riku/Sora fic from Kingdom Hearts. It made me so happy ^_^ 


	4. The headaches

A/N: blah blah blah, I don't own the Final Fantasy characters, Square does.

***

The Greatest General that ever lived woke up to the warm rays of sun that managed to filter through Midgar's blackened atmosphere and in through his blinds. He groaned irritably at the brightness in his eyes, then sighed disappointedly when he found that neither Zack nor Cloud were at his sides. The little rush of excitement that he felt during his sleep, had sadly been only a dream.

His brows furrowed together curiously, however, when he had rolled over and found a stuffed Cait Sith doll standing on his bed, with its tiny arms crossed over its chest and held a very disgruntled expression. Sephiroth just stared at it, hoping that he would blink the thing away. But it didn't even move, and Sephiroth _thought_ he saw its face scrunch up some more.

"Well what are you waiting for? You're awake aren't you? Get out of bed and attend to my master's needs at once!" it had ordered which made Sephiroth blink some more, confused. He then sighs into his pillow and tries to shut out the doll's bantering.

__

"I'm dreaming…I must be, otherwise this doll wouldn't be talking to me right now" 

"Well c'mon now, you're a SOLDIER right? Heh, is that what they call bums like you now a days? Sad really, why even mages wake up early just to get their work done for the day and we don't even fight. I swear, humans sometimes are so stupid and lazy and oh, don't even get me started on hygiene. Well c'mon then, get out of bed! Don't keep master waiting, he can get very impatient" Sephiroth lifts his head back up and glares at it.

"So you're that freak's _toy_? Oh how wonderful…do me a favor then" the doll then shakes his head and places its hands on its tiny waist.

"What? what is it? I haven't got all day for you" Sephiroth glared some more.

"Make yourself disappear, or go throw yourself in one of the mako reactors. Either way is fine, just don't exist anymore" he mutters then puts his head back down to get some more sleep, and hopefully more of that dream with Cloud. Outraged, the doll then starts jumping on the bed.

"You. Can't. Keep. Master. waiting!!!!!"

"ALRIGHT!" he yelled at the top of his lungs then forced himself out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Before he started showering, he pokes his head back out at the thing and glares.

~*~

The General had marched out of the room while fixing the cuffs to his open dress shirt and just froze in his spot at the stranger at his table with his pet 'cat' between his hands. Green feline eyes were planted on him, making him feel uneasy. Even if the creature had become a regular house cat, he still felt like it could tear at his flesh at any moment. 

The mage, of course, had been awake and sat at the table with his pet. Sephiroth noticed that he was covering less of his flawless body today; reminding him of the time he had seen him nearly entirely naked. Butterflies began whirling in his stomach again at the memory. The mage tucked a strand of his silver hair behind one ear, still not looking the General's way.

A little of the silk that he wore had slid off exposing strong looking legs despite that fact that he probably didn't deal with much combat in his life. Sephiroth pretended to fumble around with his cuffs, but his hungry eyes never left the sexy mage.

It was so frustrating. That delicious body was so close that he could have it for breakfast, yet it was off limits. Cursed to just lust after it hungrily, while its owner mocked him with his powers in the dark arts. But there was no way he was going to let the mage know that. He was the Great Sephiroth, the most sought after bachelor. 

With a sigh, he lets the cuffs hang loose, and headed towards the fridge. 

"Its empty!" muttered the doll that came wobbling in. Sephiroth glared at it and shrugged.

"Of course it would be, I never eat up here" the doll sighs and shakes its head.

"My master has to eat before he goes to the labs today! I thought he made it clear to you…" it yelled and Kuja finally quieted it down.

" No need for such haste Cait Sith, this isn't crucial to me"

"Yes master, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day--"

"I understand that, so just don't worry about me" his cold blue eyes finally meet emerald ones.

"Its your call General, I am but a guest in your…_home_" he said with a cool one of voice, irritating Sephiroth some more.

"I hardly ever come up here, so why should I keep food when it could go to waste?" Kuja shrugged.

"Get your cook to do something about it," Sephiroth paused for a moment then glared.

"I don't have one," he muttered getting even more annoyed. Kuja's eyes had widened, obviously enjoying pestering the General.

"Amazing, they treat you like a prince here and you don't have a cook? What about your housekeeper?" Sephiroth paused again, feeling a nerve twitch somewhere in his forehead.

"I don't _have_ a housekeeper or a maid or anything! We're going out for breakfast!" he barked. Kuja clapped his hands together.

"Oh splendid! Did you hear that Luna? We get to see the city"

"You're not taking that thing with you, the people here won't permit pets in their stores"

"I never said I was taking _Luna_ with me, Cait Sith would surely love to come" the doll nodded and Sephiroth's teeth were grinding together.

"The people won't understand a possessed doll either!!"

"He's not possessed idiot, he's merely been… _charmed_" Sephiroth froze in his spot and somehow felt the room heat up with his rage. Did he just call him an idiot?

"You did not just call me stupid…"

"He didn't call you _stupid_, he called you an _idiot_ …" said the doll while laughing behind its paw.

"Same thing!!" he paused to consider this for a moment.

"Did anyone ask you?"

"I believe I do recall calling you stupid General…"

"That's what I thought I heard, you do _not _call _me,_ stupid!"

"I believe I can call you stupid however I can" Kuja said casually while Sephiroth felt the force of the planets somehow jiggle from his fury.

"You.. do not… call _me_… stupid, no one _here_ has ever called me stupid!! No one on this EARTH has ever called me stupid!!!" Kuja smiled while crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well its time they start opening their eyes, you're not so great despite your rank SOLDIER" he said suavely making Sephiroth want to spurt out a thousand things at once but had failed to think of just one thing to say to him. Kuja's smile turns even more devious.

"What's the matter General? Cat got your tongue?" Kuja then slowly ran his tongue over his teeth mockingly. Sephiroth glared daggers at him, but all he does is sigh out loud then grabs his leather coat and his keys.

"We're going out to eat, get dressed"

"I am dressed" Kuja whined, making emerald eyes widened furiously.

"You're going like that?? You can't go like that!!"

"Well you can't tell me what I can and cannot wear. What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Kuja protested and again Sephiroth was at a loss of words.

"Well its…its…" his hungry green eyes couldn't leave the mage's legs.

"Its what??"

"Well, just not suitable for an outing. They're hungry dogs out there that could just…_devour_ you with their eyes"

"Like what you're doing now?" Kuja mocked while cocking his head to the side. Sephiroth felt heat rush into his cheeks, but who could resist this mage, he was hypnotizing.

"I…am not" Kuja's devious smile returns.

"You so were. Tell me something General, do you like what you see?" he asks while purposely crossing his legs slowly. 

"Just go change out of that"

"What if I don't have anything else?"

"You mean you're whole wardrobe is like that?" Kuja looks away stubbornly while crossing his arms over his chest which Sephiroth took as a yes.

__

Damn…he thought. Was he lucky or what…

With a sigh, Sephiroth ushers him into his room.

"Fine…I'll give you something more _human_ to wear. Maybe we could do some shopping for you as well" he said then disappeared into his room, leaving Kuja glaring daggers back at him. 

~*~

So after a wardrobe fight, breakfast choices, a few more arguments and death threats later, the Great General of SOLDIER was finally out doing the impossible.

Shopping.

"This is preposterous…"

"Would you just pick something out already"

"I don't see anything I like, don't they have any kimonos here?" Sephiroth rolled his eyes. 

"This is Midgar, people here don't wear kimonos at least?" Kuja sighs.

"No taste in fashion what so ever," he mutters to himself. Sephiroth rubs his temples then notices a pub across the street.

"Look, do what ever you want, I'll be at that bar over there"

"Fine!"

"FINE"

~*~ 

Aah… 

Whiskey had never so refreshing to Sephiroth before today's events. The black mage had drove him absolutely insane to the point where he wanted the two Professors to just lock him up in a tank somewhere with JENOVA already, so that he wouldn't have to deal with him anymore. Sephiroth gulfed down his drink entirely then slams the glass down hard on the counter. 

He didn't even care anymore that he was good looking; the mage's nasty personality was what really brought out the thorns from this rose. He didn't even understand why he was the way he was. And while everyone else in ShinRa had respected the SOLDIER highly, this puny little punk with a bit of magic gets to boss him around as if he had meant nothing. Why did this one have to be _different_?

He looks out the bar's darkly tinted windows to find his very nemesis, dressed in slightly fitted dark slacks and a long sleeved black shirt with his silver hair tied back and hanging down in ringlets over his shoulders, coming his way towards the bar carrying some bags.

Sephiroth sighed to himself, it was a massacre to get him into those clothes, but they were the only ones small enough to fit him. Nothing compared to what his style in clothing was like at all. Silks and satin and so much more exposure, but he still looked nice in what he was wearing now. 

The mage walked into the bar and stops to throw Sephiroth a glare over his shoulder then takes a seat beside him. He orders the finest wine the bar tender had to offer then sat in total silence. 

Sephiroth didn't pretend to not have seen the look of displeasure once the mage had taken a sip out of his wine glass. He smiled to himself nonetheless and whirled the ice around in his glass in thought.

"I know of a place that serves better wine than that, I believe the finest in all of Midgar. Maybe we can have dinner there since the house would still be pretty much empty by then…" he said and for a long while the mage had said nothing. That is, until he sat his wine glass down on the counter slowly.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to join you, I'll be having dinner with the _professors_ according to my schedule" he stressed on _professors _with much distaste. Sephiroth just stared into his empty glass.

"That's if they'll give you anything at all. For all they care, they could just keep you locked up while you starve" he sneered, recalling how bitter those two could truly be. 

After all, he had gone through such hardships with them himself.

"Oh well…I thank you for the little _insight _General…" Kuja sneered. But Sephiroth did notice the hint of worry in his tone of voice despite the attitude.

Then without a warning, the glass in which Kuja drank out of exploded, yet the mage hadn't even looked at it for him to have tried anything. He just sat there, arms folded across his chest and eyes shut in total control when truly, he was raging inside. Sephiroth knew that what he had muttered made him very angry.

~*~

And so as it turned out, the silver haired warrior didn't get to see him at all that night, which was always a good thing. He had dinner alone and actually managed to get some of his work done and up to date. Realizing that he had time to spare on his hands, he changed into his military outfit and headed towards the most private place he could find to train.

The soft breeze felt wonderful against his fiery skin. Together with the tranquility of the night, had set the perfect mood for him. No idiotic SOLDIERs to answer to, no mage and his possessed doll. It was just perfect, yet his mind wasn't at rest at all. 

For longest time he wondered what the professors were up to, what they wanted to do with the mage. How was he going to put up with those dreadful experiments with the mako and God only knows whatever else that Hojo wanted to subject him to. 

Again feelings for the mage made him decide many times over to go check on him, but why would he care? Or why _should_ he care? 

They should just get rid of him already; he made the General's life a living hell.

Well…just added more to it. 

Sephiroth cursed out loud, again his timing was off by being distracted so easily by someone he hated from the first day they mentioned him. He lets his sword clatter down to the concrete, but picked it up again a moment later slowly as his instincts caught the light sound of footsteps sneaking up from behind him. With a yell he swung his sword hard and fast, but his thin blade had skidded off the wide blade of a Buster Sword, setting off a few sparks. He paused in disbelief again.

"That was weak Seph, even for you" Sephiroth shrugged it off as he slid the Masamune back into its hilt. 

"What is it?" the spiky haired second-in- command shrugged and put away his sword as well.

"Thought I'd come and play a little, but since you're all out of shape and all"

"I didn't put my all into that last one…"

"Yeah sure, what about the other couple of times. Or could it be that sexy wizard making you all weak in the knees like that" he teased which made the General sigh out loud.

"Don't even go there Zack…" Zack smiles secretly to himself.

"Thought you might want to know how he's doing" Sephiroth stops in his tracks to face him.

"Should I care?"

"Well I thought you might, since he's your roommate and all. I just came from the labs, Cloud is there too" Sephiroth looks away.

"I see," he said, pretending to be uninterested.

"He isn't doing too well Seph…I had to drag him back to your place" Sephiroth stopped to consider his words for a moment and whipped his head around quickly towards Zack's way.

He figured that he wasn't talking about Cloud.

~*~

And it was true.

When the General had finally got home later that night, he found the mage hunched over the guest room's toilet, half passed out and looking completely like an old rag doll, with his pretty silver hair now frizzy and messy. There were several puncture wounds in his arms and legs with a mixture of green fluid and blood oozing out of them.

Sephiroth shook his head in pity then debated whether he should help him or not. But he found that his arms had made the decision already as he carefully approached the black mage and helped him sit up.

The mage looked awfully pale and the sheen of cold sweat that covered his skin made it look like plastic. Kuja slowly opened his tear-stained eyes and found himself being cradled in the General's arms.

"Its…so hot" he tried to sputter but Sephiroth only silenced him and helped him up.

"Hey, can you walk?" Kuja tries to gain balance on his feet, but holds his stomach and doubles over the toilet again.

"I can't…need to…empty out my stomach" he said then went into a fit of coughs. Sephiroth sighed and kept him from falling over. When he thought Kuja had quieted down he asks:

"Are you done yet?" Kuja takes in a few long breaths and roughly shrugs the SOLDIER off of him with disgust.

"Just leave me be…" he said with a shaky voice and tries standing up on his own again.

"I don't need your pity," he barely says before he passes out again and into the SOLDIER's awaiting arms. Sephiroth cursed and carried the mage out to where he decided to get some help for him after all.

~*~

Sephiroth watched as the nurse from the infirmary packed up her things and nodded his way. She stopped for a moment to exchange some words with Zack then bade them both goodnight. Zack slowly sauntered over to him while running a hand through his thick hair.

"She says to keep rewetting the towel on his head to you know, get him to cool down"

"Why can't she do that, it's her job"

"Seph, her shift is over. She's gotta sleep too you know" the General looks away and out through the window overlooking the city.

"He doesn't want my help…" Zack sighed out loud.

"Honestly boss, you're acting like a baby. Here let me show you…" Sephiroth grew furious at him, but managed to shake him off as he always did when Zack would try to mess with his head. He watched Zack carefully place a wet towel on the mage's forehead, then smiles wickedly.

"Hey he's got nice lips…" Sephiroth glared and marched across the room over to where they were.

"Don't you have somewhere you got to be?"

"Yes sir!" just as Zack was making his way out the door he stopped to look back at the other man with an evil grin on his face.

"Have fun Sir…" he mocked a salute and ran out the door giggling. Sephiroth shook his head to himself.

"I swear he's insane, what does Cloud see in him?" he took the towel off the mage's forehead and dunk it in the cool water. As he was carefully patting Kuja's forehead, he took the time to inspect his doll- like features.

He ran a portion of the towel over the mage's eyebrows, and then slowly down the sides of his face, his emerald orbs tracing each outline of his gentle strokes each time he did. He leaned in closer, and in the pale of the moonlight he was able to see some dark discolorations already starting to mar the mage's pallid skin. Sephiroth set the cloth down and let his fingers do the tracing instead.

"What are they going to do to you?" he whispers as his thumb slowly pried apart pale lips.

"You know you're not so bad when you're knocked out. I think I like you better this way…" Sephiroth was then startled by a soft sigh that escaped those lips, then felt the mage's slender fingers holding onto his rough ones and he allowed the mage to bring it closer to his face.

"Brother…" he muttered in his sleep as a single tear rolled down his cheek, blending in with water and sweat. Sephiroth's brows furrowed together curiously. He then whipped his head towards the window where he thought had heard the beating of wings of a bird, flutter away. 

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A/N: lol, can anyone imagine Sephiroth glaring and seething in that chibi, SD form of way? ^_^


End file.
